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Estivation or aestivation (from Latin aestas, summer) is a state of dormancy similar to hibernation. Animals that estivate spend a summer inactive and insulated against heat to avoid the potentially harmful effects of the season. Some animals, including the California red-legged frog, may estivate to conserve energy when their food and water supply is low.
Other animals that estivate include salamanders and lungfishes. The lungfish estivates by burying itself in the mud formed at the surface of a dried up lake. In this state, the lungfish can survive for many years. Other animals estivate in their burrow and wait for autumn to come.
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